An Introduction to the Magical Education System in the United States
by Viviana1
Summary: This short summary will endeavor to give the reader a good background on the 4 magical schools across the United States: Roanoke Academy, Griffon Institute, Acadian Abbey, & Two Sisters Schoolhouse. It will also have a brief examination of the revolutionary school for Squibs: Bryant Hall.
1. Roanoke Academy

Roanoke Academy started from the remnants of the dying colonists that would become known as "The Lost Colony." Having left England for a new start and to escape persecution, two witches and a wizard were among those of the first English colonizers of Roanoke. Waiting for supplies to come from England, the colony was in bad shape; disease and starvation rampant. Those with magical abilities itched to use their powers to help their neighbors, but they knew the consequences of breaking the charter of secrecy and they also feared their neighbors may try to execute them.

Starvation eventually claimed the wizard of the community and the witches wavered even more in their resolve. They began to sneak away from the settlement and experiment with "New World" potions they could discreetly slip to their neighbors that may help. One day, the women were discovered by Native Americans. A double barrier of magical and non magical, English and American left the women completed shocked and unprepared. The muggles, however, did not seem surprised or even alarmed by the obvious display of potion-making. Through subsequent visits the women were introduced to their shaman. Despite the language barrier they learned a lot from each other and the witches were amazed to see Muggles live so harmoniously with magical people.

Their colony was still struggling and there was only so much the witches could do. The shaman, who had grown quite fond of the women, wanted them and their people to join his community, but the Head Man would not have it. Eventually only a third of the original colony was left and things came to a head. The witches decided to reveal themselves to their community. A bargain was struck with the Head Man. The Shaman would go with the witch he had fallen in love with and help the Roanoke Colony start over in a new place, further in-land. The other witch would remain with the Head Man in the shaman's place. The colonists were allowed to take food, clothing, and bare essentials, all else was left behind as payment to the Head Man.

The colonists were in such an impoverished state that they were willing to accept any help; even that of a witch and a Native. They moved around some before settling in present-day Virginia. It was difficult, but after just a couple generations, they were able to build something of an utopia that has not been seen before or since. Whites & Americans, Magical & non-magical people lived together without major incident. It worked so well, and given the increase in colonies later on, eventually Roanoke came to a fateful and ultimately disastrous decision. They would attempt their utopia in another colony. Thus, a handful of magical and non-magical people set out for Salem.

Needless to say, it went tragically wrong. So wrong in fact, that a special delegation was formed in Europe and sent to America to restore order and bring the offender of the charter of secrecy to justice. The delegation did restore order to Salem, eventually, and after several casualties. However, the delegation also put an end to the utopia of Roanoke. The delegation insisted upon wiping the memories of the Muggles of the community and forcing those with magical abilities to relocate to the more remote Appalachian Mountains. And so, Roanoke existed in infamy for centuries to the magical world.

Despite the delegations efforts, however, the local Muggles seemed to instinctively know that anyone needing medical attention beyond common practices should be sent into the mountains. Though the inhabitants of Roanoke lived in fear of the delegation they discreetly continued to care for those who sought remedies, always careful never to explain or reveal too much. Muggles also seemed to instinctively retain that anyone especially strange or demonstrating odd behaviors in their community should be sent into the mountains. Thus, Roanoke as a school began.

Though Roanoke was graduating accomplished witches and wizards, the school was still dealing with stigmas of disgrace into the 20th century. It wasn't until the Great Wizarding Wars of the early 20th century that world came to see the merits of Roanoke. The healers that graduated from Roanoke were said to be some of the best in the world, and in the wars they became in high demand. For centuries, Roanoke had been making advances in herbology, potion-making, and healing that the rest of the world had largely ignored. In a few short decades, centuries of prejudice dissolved as the famed skill and work ethic of Roanoke graduates saved thousands of lives.

For Roanoke's part, the school saw a major shift in it's culture. Prior to the wars the school had been rather conventional. But during the wars, the destruction and dire need of trained healers saw the start of an intense curriculum and discipline that gives the school an almost military style that persists in present day. In addition a hospital was constructed next to the academy at this time, and while casualties at the hospital often kept professors occupied for days at a time, older students of Roanoke began to teach younger students. A practice that is still in use today.

For example, a first-year student may pass a MACUSA standardized test, but according to Roanoke's standards that student will not have passed the lesson until their second year when they have been able to effectively teach the lesson to a first year student. Much like military honors, when a student has passed a lesson by Roanoke's standards, the student is awarded a patch to emblazon their uniform. Professors provide testing, benchmarks, and support when needed, but most lessons are student-led.

Today, Roanoke retains its reputation for discipline; being the only school to ask its students to perform chores throughout the academy and hospital and have responsibility of teaching younger students. Some say that it is in response to Roanoke's ancestors' egregious error in breaking the charter of secrecy. However, officials of the school maintain that it was courage, not a lack of discipline that motivated their ancestors. Regardless, when asked, most students and staff simply say they like to stay busy and help people.

The peer-to-peer teaching style has proven to be uniquely effective causing students to retain and use knowledge twice as long as those from other schools. It also lends itself to a communal culture that is unseen in other schools.

Roanoke offers specialties in herbology, potion-making, healing, and teaching.


	2. Griffon Institute

Jean-Claude Gagne was an over eager French-Canadian wizard born in Toronto. Gagne was rather gifted at Charms, but his true passion laid in Divination. By most accounts from the magical community, despite his enthusiasm, Gagne's skill in Divination was next to none. In his early 20s, he was convinced that his divination readings were pulling him into a vague prophecy into the West and in 1657 he boarded a ship on an exploratory mission called _Le Griffon_. Le Griffon's goal was to explore the Great Lakes of the Americas and they made it as far as present day Green Bay before turning around. Shortly after, _Le Griffon_ was lost in a storm and was never seen again.

Or rather, that's all the Muggle community knows, to this day. The ship did, in fact, go down in the storm and the crew lost. All except Gagne. His protection charms kept him alive, but adrift. But to his horror, Gagne found he could not Apparate from the water. Eventually, he passed out from exhaustion. When he awoke, he was under water and surrounded by mermaids. He would find out much later that before he had come to, the mer people had already had a tense debate on what to do with him.

One side wanted to kill him, lest he reveal mer secrets, another side saw no need to kill him and instead argued they should take him to shore and leave him to wake up. A third option was proffered and eventually compromised to agreement: They would keep him to learn the ways of wizards. As Gagne was very gifted with Charms his protection and bubble charms served him well. While he did teach the mer people much about wizards, he kept the finer details of wand lore a secret. During this time Gagne also learned a great deal about mer people and in fact his Discoveries, laid the groundwork for most of what we understand about mer people today.

It was Gagne who learned that mer people were capable of environmental magic, or using magic to manipulate their environment. For example, it was because of mer people's magic upon the waters they inhabited that Gagne was unable to Apparate. He also learned that most mer people were extremely well traveled through a series of whirlpool portals constructed over a millennia that connected to bodies of water all over the world. Finally, he learned that mer people have the ability to manipulate time. Or rather the experience of time.

A group of Native American magical persons would visit them seemingly often. Gagne had reckoned it to be 2-3 times a week, but the visits apparently concerned a private treaty existing between the Americans and mer people so Gagne was never invited. Eventually, however, he was allowed to attend and the Americans were greatly troubled to see him. After further discussion it came out that their visits were actually pilgrimages made every four years. What Gagne had judged as several weeks, was in fact close to 80 years. It took this knowledge for him to realize he was a prisoner. The Americans tried to negotiate his release, but the mer people aruged that their agreement does not extend to thouse outside the treaty.

After some more time (20 years to be exact, though Gagne claimed it felt like mere days), trouble was brewing above the water. Centaurs were crowding around their shows and contaminating the water with their form of magic and divination practices. Mer people, who had learned a great deal from Gagne, used the next pilgrimage from the Americans to negotiate his release that would involve him into their treaty. In this treaty, American and the mer people had two points: One side would not treat the other side as enemies. And in exchange for the mer people's protection from threats beneath the water and constant supply of fish, the American would pay homage with their pilgrimages and resolve to protect the mer people from threats above the water.

At this particular pilgrimage the Americans were coming to promise the mer people they will deal with the centaurs. At this time, the mer people put forth the bargain that if Gagne made the Unbreakable Vow and help defeat the centaurs, they would release him. Gagne agreed and returned to the surface 100 years later. Gagne was eager to fulfill his voice and move on with his life and in his eagerness became a prisoner again. This time by the centaurs.

Even though he was help captive for a mere 3 years, without the manipulation of time, he grew to learn and truly appreciate their culture. Quickly making Gagne lament his vow, though he very quickly made the distinction that "defeat" did not have to mean "kill" or "destroy." Gagne did his best to learn about centaur culture so that he could start a rebellion from within and ultimately lead to their defeat. He began a rapport with a few centaurs over the practice of divination. This is when he became extremely proficient in the practice.

The centaurs that taught him were convinced that he would never be able to match their skill, and indeed Gagne did all he could to make him seem nonthreatening. But slowly, subtly Gagne began to manipulate their signs. After years of contradictory and confusing messages the centaurs finally turned on each other as Gagne wanted. This ultimately led to their defeat and Gagne was released from his vow.

Despite his deep respect and guilt, for what he had done, centaurs understandably hated him when they discovered the truth. He barely escaped their wrath by going back into the water. Though fearing being tricked by the mer people, he found an island in the lakes and made a home there. It was here that Gagne wrote his Discoveries of a Wayward Wizard, which chronicled all his failures and everything he had learned.

The publication met with controversy from the magical world. Some, still entrenched in the bigotry of the magical world, found the work too fantastical to believe. Other were aghast at a wizard so blatantly interfering in the politics of magical creatures. And other were inspired. They traveled across the world to learn from him. Over time, more and more humans began moving Westward and encroaching upon territories of the centaurs. Gagne worked tirelessly to protect those lands and advocate for the centaurs, still guilty about his prior actions.

His efforts on the centaurs' behalf did not go unnoticed and by the time of Gagne's eventual death, the centaurs regarded him less with hatred and more with ambivalence. Shortly after his death, the students who had come to learn from him established the Griffon Institute, named after the voyage that Gagne described as his greatest mistake and lesson. They converted his lighthouse home into the school's facilities and even expanded it to connect to glass encased classrooms under water to learn from mer people.

Over the years they developed a reputation for being the most magically diverse school in the world. While most knowledge about wand magic is still kept secret by humans, mer people, centaurs, goblins, and elves have all had the opportunity to take select courses at the Institute. There are even magical creatures on staff. This acceptance of diversity extends also to humans who have extra abilities, like Parseltongues, Metamorphagi, legilmenese, and especially werewolves. Griffon serves as a haven for the misunderstood and ostracized of magical society. Even normal witches and wizards go there to become more. Most humans students elect to become animagi in their 3rd year.

It is worth noting here that most American of the magical world would be unfamiliar with the term "animagus." The practice was overwhelmingly commonplace to the people native to the Americas and thus Americans adopted an English translation of the native people's term. The practice is called "binding" and a person might say they are "animalbound" or more specifically "catbound" or "snakebound" depending on what form they take. To refer to groups of animagi is referred to as the "bonded."

Just as Gagne had to learn from his circumstances the Institute values a "hands-on" experience driven teaching style. Staff regularly take students into the open water to learn divination or in the surrounding forests to learn about magical beasts and creatures. This teaching technique while crude is effective. As Gagne said, the most he learned in life was from terrible mistakes.

Graduates of Griffon Institute have a bit of a reputation for being wild and adventure-seeking, but also open to new experiences and all people, whether they are human or not. In fact, the Institute has, on occasion, served as a neutral ground for magical creatures to solve disputes.

They offer specialties in Divination, Magical beasts and Magical creatures.


	3. Acadian Abbey

The rich history of Acadian Abbey is shrouded in secrecy and by that design only vague myths with nameless characters exist to tell the school's story. The legends say there were Four Founders that contributed something substantial to the Abbey.

First Founder is believed to be a young girl who lived in the middle of the 17th century. Most say she was among the first Acadian settlers to move to Louisiana during the Great Expulsion and therefore attribute the name "Acadian" to her heritage. She is thought to have been a witch born to a family of Muggles. When she first started showing signs of magical ability her community, and possibly her family, turned on her. She was forced to flee her home and ran into the swamps. It is unclear how the girl survived along and untrained, but most likely a group of Native peoples took her in.

The legends go on to say that after a decade or so she returned to her community and attacked. Some of the locals interviewed said it was revenge for what they had done to her. Officials at the school, however, claim the First Founder returned to collect one of her younger sister who had also begun to show magical ability. Regardless, the First Founder is attributed for the school's name and location.

The Second Founder is said to have been a woman living in the later part of the 18th century. In the time since the First Founder, residents of the Abbey sought to follow her example and seek out witches who were under suspicion or threat from their communities. In this way, the existence of the Abbey became well known in certain circles and operated as a safe shelter to witches who needed it. Second Founder is said to have fled a harsh master in the Caribbean who tried to exploit her skills in Divination and Voodoo for his own gain.

Similar to the First Founder, the Second is said to have returned to her former master's plantation and burn his mansion to the ground. However, by burning the building, Second Founder was able to gather the ashes, transport them to the Abbey, and with the use of Voodoo reconstruct the mansion. This acts as the main building of the school to this day. Second Founder is also credited for leaving hidden symbols around the swamps of the Abbey making it easier for any witch to find shelter.

According to legends, Third Founder was the daughter of a renowned Rainmaker of a nearby Native group of people. In the early part of the 19th century, Third Founder's mother, having sensed impending grief, sent her daughter to live at the Abbey. The nature of the Abbey was to be secretive in order to ensure the protection of its inhabitants. This also meant that the those inside the Abbey were fairly cut off from the outside world. Third Founder emerged from the Abbey to find her family, only to discover they were all gone. Her entire people had been moved across the country. She never found her family or learned of their fate.

Third Founder returned to the Abbey hoping to find a way to exact vengeance on those who were responsible. She studied poisons, curses and all forms of Dark Magic. She studied the relationship between the magical and muggle worlds and the strategies used to hurt each other. Third Founder began to experiment with very dangerous magic which eventually led to her death. Third Founder is credited with inviting experts from all over the world to teach her at the Abbey and with beginning the practice of sending volunteers of the Abbey outside to monitor and protect magical communities. This instillation of responsibility to the community remains a strong ideal of the Abbey to this day.

She is the inspiration for the Abbey's motto, "Dragon hunters get burned." In keeping with the school's focus on duality of right and wrong, good and evil, the motto is both a caution and a threat. The dragon represents power, or dark magic, or ambition. Thus, those that are practicing evil will always, eventually receive their comeuppance. However, it is also a warning to those seeking to stop dark witches or wizards, that they can also fall prey to evil intentions.

Fourth Founder is believed to have lived in the second part of the 19th century. She is said to have been pursued by a powerful wizard for whom she did not feel equal regard. The details are scant, but the story goes on to say that eventually Fourth Founder woke up from a love potion that had kept her in a marriage she did not want and fled to the Abbey. Fourth Founder devoted herself to the study of protection charms and detection of dark magic. The wizard is said to have confronted her at the Abbey forcing her into a duel which ultimately led to his death. It was Fourth Founder who formally changed the primary function of the Abbey from a shelter into a school. Acadian became the first all-girls school of witchcraft. After the Wizarding Wars of the 20th century however, the school opened its doors to wizards as well.

Administrators of the school admit that while the truth of these tales is uncertain, the myths of the Four Founders create the core tenants of the school's philosophy. They explain that First Founder represents the ideal of giving strength to the weak. Second Founder's legend paints the need to seek justice, while Third Founder reminds people of the danger of vengeance. Finally, they conclude that Fourth Founder's story illustrates the responsibility to the rest of society.

The Abbey is the most traditional in its teaching techniques following the conventional pattern of professors, classrooms, textbooks, and assignments. The Abbey does tend to focus more on the study of Dark Magic and Protections against Dark Magic. They also offer the most classes on the study of the Muggle World. The culture of the school seems to focus on unceasing search for knowledge combined with discussions about the morals and ethics of using magic.

Graduates of Acadian tend to have a reputation for being forceful and motivated by progress. Popular political leaders, along with the most notorious criminals, are disproportionately graduates from the Abbey. In effect, Acadian acts as the front line in magical political debates ranging from purebloods and Muggle-borns, interspecies interactions, and allegiances to the Magical and Muggle worlds.

The Abbey offers specialties in Muggle Studies, History of Magic, Discretion of Dark Magic


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